Blogtober 17th

So much for blogging everyday for a month. I've just gone and missed a whole weekend.

Do I need a note for the teacher or can I just tell you what I got up to?

Well... it was a birthday weekend for my daughter and since she is on school holidays we thought it would be a good idea to make a bit of a holiday out of it.

We flew from Edinburgh at tea time on Friday and headed to London.

We actually stayed in Colchester in Essex which turned out to be a really good idea as we had brilliant weather over the weekend and it was nice not to be in the city the whole time.

On Saturday we went in to the city with enough time for lunch and a bit of shopping before the main event.

We spent ages in Forbidden Planet as my daughter loves Manga, and Myths and Science Fiction.

She was in her element.

Surprisingly, even I found something which I just had to have.....

There are some truly gruesome crochet patterns in here.

I don't know why I would want to crochet a cannibalistic cockerel but you never know.

Then it was off to Her Majesty's Theatre in the Haymarket for the matinee performance of Phantom of the Opera. Awesome, is such an overused word these days, but really it was.

On Sunday we made the most of the fine weather and headed down the coast to Clacton.

I love traditional English seaside towns and Clacton has everything you would expect.

Ice cream on the promenade and frothy coffee and a fortune teller on the pier.

While we enjoyed our frothy coffees Rhona tried to beat the 'claw'.

Despite her disappointment, I was really rather pleased that she didn't manage to hook a giant fluffy bear.

After all, we did fly Easy Jet and there was no way I wanted to pay excess baggage allowance on a giant stuffed toy.

So ... that's my excuse for missing two blogs.

x

Show and Tell

It feels a lot like showing off but why have a blog if you're not going to show off once in a while...

Anyway.. another bright side of a rainy holiday, apart from not feeling guilty about buying a vintage sewing machine, is that you get the chance to do indoor activies: like the stained glass workshop that I went to with my son. In the little town of Beccles where we were staying, we found Cobweb Crafts, and we found that the owner John Wilson offered Stained Glass tuition. It's a craft that I have always wanted to try and couldn't pass up the opportunity.

I had a brilliant morning learning how to cut glass and leading, how to solder the joints and how to finish and polish my work.

John had drawn out a plan which included the big circle and I couldn't get away from the idea that it should represent the sun. ( the one that was missing for most of the holiday ) In my mind, the blues represent the water of the Broads, and the rain, and the sea at Great Yarmouth, and the blue sky which appeared towards the end of our holiday. It's not perfect, and I can see where I could improve if I get another chance to try this craft, but I'm pretty pleased with myself.

You should be able to see John's work at http://www.villagestainedglass.co.uk/

Summer Holidays

We seem to have an unenviable talent for picking the one week and the one destination with the worst weather of the summer and going there for our holiday. You may recall the great Caledonian Canal adventure from last summer. Feel free to revisit the scene, just click WET

This year was no different, apart from the fact that we were in Norfolk instead of the Scottish Highlands, and that we stayed in a house boat instead of a small cabin cruiser. But the rain was just as wet and the wind just as windy.

Loving the windswept look here. I realised a long time ago that the best way to avoid being in embarassing holiday snaps like this is to always be the one holding the camera.

However, one good thing about rubbish holidays is that you don't feel guilty about treating yourself to something special that you just happen to spot in little craft and antique centre on the last day of your holiday.

Just look at this little beauty.

Isn't she just the loveliest sewing machine you have ever seen ? Can you tell how excited I am ?

I even got the original instruction manual, packed full of handy sewing tips.

And... a full set of gadgets and gizmos and some very bizarre looking attachments which are just calling out to be put to good use.

Is it wrong that this is the high light of my holiday this year ?

Just to prove it's not all about me... Here's a saucy hot dog from Great Yarmouth sea front.

Santa Clause is coming to town....

I'm not about to show any more snow and icicles here today. Not because there isn't an abundance of snow and icicles just waiting to be photographed, simply because we're getting a bit bored of them now.

It's now four weeks since our first snow fall and the novelty has worn off. I'm missing grass and black roads and walking the dog without having to worry about her getting lost in a snow drift... And just simply walking without fear of landing on my bum when that sneaky black ice hides under innocent looking snow.

However, tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I have many reasons to be happy. Snow has definately had a beneficial effect on business and shopping local is 'the new black'. Why would anyone willing trek all the way to Dundee or Perth in this weather when my little shop is so much easier to get to.

So.. one more day in the shop then it will be time to sit back, relax and enjoy Christmas with my family.

The Tree is decorated, the cupboards and the fridge are well stocked. Presents are all wrapped, with the exception of my sister's which I haven't quite finished making yet, but we won't be seeing her till next week so no need to panic.

All that remains is for me to wish all my blogging friends a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a successful and happy New Year ahead.

Lots of love from Fiona xoxo

Caledonian Canal Cruising

I'm back on my comfy sofa after a week spent on the Caledonian Canal. Who would have thought that cruising the canal in July could have produced such extreme weather conditions ?

We enjoyed three kinds of weather... Raining. Just stopped Raining. & Just about to start Raining.

Combined with Wind. Lots of Wind. & Oh dear lord is that a Hurricane?

But guess what ? We had a fantastic time. It's true that in the first few days my temper frayed and my language reached an all time low. But considering that none of us had done any kind of sailing before and that we sailed into the worst weather conditions on Loch Ness, I think we did surprisingly well.

Our first night was spent berthed at Urquhart Castle Bay. There is a big difference between watching an instuction video on berthing and tying up your boat and actually doing it, especially in strong winds and I was a bit scared that we would wake in the middle of the night to find ourselves adrift in the middle of the loch. It was quite a relief to wake in the morning exactly where we should be.

Our second night was spent at Fort Augustus, a lovely little town dominated by the five locks that take you up onto the Caledonian canal. The canal itself was created to give a safe passage from Fort William on the west of Scotland through to Inverness in the North East. It meant that ships could avoid the dangerous waters of the North Sea and get supplies through to the other side a lot quicker. It was started in 1822 and finished in 1847. It's all pretty amazing even by modern construction methods but way back then it was literally dug out by hand. The locks join up Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, Loch Ness and Loch Dochfour and covers about sixty miles.

The locking system at Fort Augustus involved two crew members pulling the boat through each of the locks as we moved up the steps. Definately MAN work. Calum and Martin did a grand job and Rhona and I put the kettle on for a nice cup of tea when they got back on board.

Not really much of a sea dog but Angel got little treats from the lock-keeper at Fort Augustus. I think she is particularly pleased to be back home. She got quite good at jumping back onto the boat after her walks but had to be lifted off and she doesn't like being lifted. Poor baby...

Stopped off here at Kytra Lock for some lunch before heading out on to Loch Oich. It looks so peaceful and we should have appreciated it more at the time because as soon as we were through the lock the wind really got up and sailing across the loch in a little cabin cruiser was pretty scary. We heard along the way that a weather warning had been issued and that the next loch down was closed off to boats due the severity of the winds. So all we had to do was keep going and get berthed at the Great Glen Water Park at the end of Loch Oich. What a job we had berthing there... The wind was so strong and we were really grateful to a couple of fellow travellers who got to help secure our boat. We could never have done it alone. Our boat was one of the smallest in the fleet which meant it was easily caught by the wind and could go into a spin just when you were about to throw the ropes to shore. Pretty hairy......

A few days later....

Well, not many photo opportunities in torrential rain, and gale force winds. Pretty dodgy trying to get the camera out when you are concentrating on not falling in the water while securing your boat.

By Thursday the winds had died down, which was a huge relief. You know you have experienced a lot when you are holding ropes at a lock, rain dripping off the end of your nose and you agree with the lock-keeper that it's nice to be out of the wind.

I spotted this rainbow on Thursday evening just before dinner and guess what ?

After dinner we had four full hours of Just stopped Raining. Martin and I took Angel for a nice long walk along the canal tow path into Fort Augustus and stopped at the pub for a wee drink before heading back. We met up with two ladies who we had met previously at The Great Glen. They were canoeing the length of the canal. We talked about a yacht which we had seen tipped over on the loch earlier in the day. They had actually seen it go over and decided to get off the water for a while to sit out the worst of the storm. They were camping most of the route but were treating themselves to a night in a guesthouse. I was truly impressed by these ladies who had certainly earned a night of comfort.

Here are my hardy crew on our last night. Thank goodness I was the one with the camera and that it's not smelly vision. Damp, and barely washed, we weren't exactly at our best but we felt so proud of ourselves for everything we  had achieved during our journey. Calum did a great job steering though choppy waters and berthing in appalling conditions. Rhona, at only 13 has steered a cabin cruiser on Loch Ness and ably assisted in berthing and securing our boat. Martin did a bit of everything and was a true star keeping our spirits up during the worst bits. I like to think of myself as a master of knotting and anything rope related.

We treated ourselves to a fantastic meal out for our last night at a little restaurant nearby. Thankfully most of the diners were fellow mariners and there was no dress code, but the food was excellent and would not be out of place in a classy city restaurant.

Leaving Lock Dochgarroch and heading back to Inverness.

We will no doubt be comparing bruises and boat related injuries for a few days yet but we would definately do it again. I could tell you about a particulary ropey roping incident when I thought I might never crochet again.... Or the time we nearly lost Martin.... or the lady we saw who misjudged the distance to the pontoon and landed in the water while berthing (not me thank goodness).. But I think I've just about covered everything now.

Back to work in the morning.

Fiona x

London Weekend

I have just spent a fabulous weekend in London with my husband. It's our wedding anniversary in a couple of days and for the last few years we have been really lucky to able to get away on our own to mark the event.

Martin was working in London during the week so I flew down on Friday morning to meet him at City Airport. You can't go to London without taking a photograph of The Houses of Parliament !!! This one was taken from the water. We were on one of these at the time.

 

London Duck tours are a great way to see the city. We lived near London for a long time and both of us worked in the city at some time but you tend to miss things like this when the city is where you go to work. So we had a bit of a tourist day. The 'ducks' are amphibious vehicles, first built for the D-Day landings in the 2nd World War. Now put to good use showing off the sights of London and other cities with waterways. We did a similar tour in Boston last year. The tour took us around the city of Westminster, then onto the Thames to see everything from a different angle.

We stayed at a hotel in Docklands, an area which has undergone a massive regeneration in the last ten years.

This was the view across the Thames basin from our hotel. The old industrial crane things(?) make an interesting feature beside the new luxury riverside apartments. In the background you can just about see the O2 arena.

This is where we went on Saturday night for the hi- light of our trip.

Woo hoo.... Bon Jovi live at the O2. We had the best tickets.. just 4 rows from the stage !!!

The concert was amazing. They played for three whole hours and were just  brilliant.

Can't quite believe I got such a good clear picture. ( there are quite a few rubbish ones with the heads of strangers in the way but at least one good one.)

Fabulous weekend all round and back to normal now.

Fiona x

My Creative Space.

Last Thursday My Creative Space was on a train travelling from Budapest to Prague. Crochet hook in hand, and in between watching the passing landscape and trying to catch the attention of the steward with the refeshments trolley, I managed a couple of squares for what I like to think of my Holiday Blanket.
This Thursday I am counting up the squares and wondering just how big this blanket should be and how I am going to join the squares. I hate sewing up so am thinking maybe I could crochet them together. Suggestions would be nice.

By the way, this creamy, gorgeous white chocolate, hot chocolate drink, topped with chocolate moose was truly yummy. Think I might have to go back to Prague for another one.

If you would like to see some more Creative Spaces pop over to kootoyoo and see what other creators are up to.

Vienna, Budapest and Prague.

I came home last night from a fabulous holiday with my husband. We spent three nights in each of the capital cities, Vienna, Budapest and Prague, and travelled by train between them. It was a super way to see the countryside and to just enjoy the experience of being somewhere so different from home. I wasn't entirely craft free as I took my current crochet project on the train with me and crocheted as we  crossed  the borders of Eastern Europe.
First day we flew from Edinburgh to Bratislava in Slovakia where we were picked up and driven to Vienna. It's a beautiful city and we were staying near the university, just a short underground ride from the city centre and all the historic sites.

Just outside the Hoffburg Palace.

We had a trip round the city on one of the horse drawn carriages, called a fiaker. It was a really lovely way to see things.

Inside the Sissi museum. What a grand staircase. I could definately live in a house like this.

This is just outside the State Opera. Vienna was just the start of a super cake eating fest.

Next stop was Budapest. The train journey took about 2 and a half hours and was very pleasant. We were staying in the Pest side of the River Danube which is still showing obvious signs of it's turbulent past. There are still loads of fantastic buildings and interesting places to visit. We went to the state Opera house one night to see Tchaikovsky's ballet Anna Karenina. I've never been to a ballet before and just loved it. The opera house was beautiful, as was the music and the dancing. Nearly had a wee cry when it was over. It was very emotional.

Budapest Fine Art Museum.

We had a lovely visit here. Saw some wonderful paintings and felt full of culture.

Next visit was to the Budapest Zoo. Believe it or not, this fine building is actually the Elephant House.

On our last day in Budapest we took a trip on the hop-on-hop-off guided tour bus. We crossed the Danube to the Buda side of the city. This part of the town is more touristy and most of the old buildings have been cleaned up and restored to their former beauty.

The train journey to Prague took about 7 hours but we travelled through some lovely countryside, had some interesting travelling companions,and the time passed quite quickly.

I think of the three cities Prague was my favourite. We seemed to slow down in Prague and take more coffee and cake breaks and just watch a lot of life around us. Spring Music Festival was in full swing and we heard everything from Jazz, Folk, Traditional and Classical being played in the streets.

We went to a concert by the Prague Radio Orchestra ensemble in St Nicholas church on Friday evening. Like the ballet in Budapest, this was quite an experience. Listening to the music of Mozart, Vivaldi, Haydn and Ravel in a 600 year old church is pretty special.

Easter markets are very popular in both Vienna and Prague and we visited the markets in both cities. This was the biggest egg we saw which is the Old Town Square in Prague.

We saw lots of Easter Trees decorated with colourful ribbons and egg decorations

.

Also in the Old Town Square, we saw the Astronomical Clock. I seem to have cut the top off when I turned this picture round so I will have to explain. Just above the clock face there are two windows. Every hour the clock chimes and people crowd round to watch. There are figures of a skeleton and the devil and they ring the bells, while at the top the windows open and the 12 apostles appear one by one at the windows. At the very top of the clock tower a trumpeter then sounds out a fanfare from all four sides of the tower. Perfect accompaniment with another coffee and strudel in a nearby cafe.

This just really amused me. The narrowest street in Prague (and possibly the world).This little street on the Prague Castle side of the river Vltava leads down to the river side. It's only wide enough for one person at a time to go through so there are traffic lights at either end.

Another funny one which is almost blocked out by a fellow tourist. On the Charles Bridge there are loads of statues of saints and kings to see you over the river. Now the Prague people have a thing about rubbing statues for luck. You can two shiny gold bits on this plaque. One that this man is rubbing and one on the other side (just under the man's collar). One is a dog for bad luck and one is a lady for good luck, but over the years people have been getting mixed up and rubbing both of them.

Our final night was spent on a river cruise having dinner and watching the sights of the city all lit up.

It was all really pretty, the food was plentiful, especially the desserts. Oooh so many gorgeous cakes.

I always hate the last day of a holiday when you are kind of killing time till you have to go to the airport. Our pick up was at 5pm so we made the most of the day by going on a coach trip to the town of Kutna Hora where we visited the Bone Church. I might show you some pictures of that next time. It was a bit surreal and slightly unnerving. The church is full of sculptures made from human bones.

Let me know.... should I show you the pictures.

Back to work now.

Fiona x

Well it's been all go and it shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. I have just come home from a wonderful holiday with my wonderful husband. It was our 20th wedding anniversary on 1st July and he took me all the way to Boston (yes the one in America !!!!) for a whole week. Just the two of us. No children. No dog. No work. No worries. I am now sleeping for Scotland after walking the length and breadth of a truly wonderful town. I did manage to find a few jewellery and craft shops in Boston. I like to call it market research rather than shopping, but whatever you call it, it still involves money and sore feet. Yet again I am pleased that my shop is attatched to my house so there won't be much walking happening again any time soon.
On another subject all together, I am proud to say that I am now a member of the Angus Association of Craftworkers. I was invited to a vetting meeting this evening in Friockheim (even I don't know how to pronounce it) . It's a pretty little village near Forfar, so armed with my new Sat-Nav, I set off confidently, putting my trust in technology. What a wonderful invention! Driving is a lot more fun when you don't have to worry about getting lost.
Anyway, I met some lovely people who like my work and am now a member of the association. Basically, I get access to more craftfairs, meet more craftworkers, and will be able to promote Buy Design in new areas. As soon I get the details I will add links to the association web site.